In a manner of speaking I have gone to film school three times. I received an MFA from The School of the Art Institute (SAIC). A PhD in film at Northwestern (all PhDs at Northwestern are required to do production.)
I went to film school one last time at the American Film Institute through their Directing Workshop for Women. Each time I went I focused on something different. At SAIC, I learned the fundamentals, the equipment, and what it is to bring an artistic vision to film. At Northwestern, I focused on the business side of filmmaking. I took courses at the Kellogg Business School, I took courses on Producing, Entertainment Law, etc. I did the course work for a certificate in Telecommunications Policy, Management and Science as part of my degree, so that I could have a full understanding of new technology and how it will affect us as filmmakers. And the last time I went I focused on traditional narrative filmmaking, structure, script, directing and production.
I have to know everything. Which means in addition to what I learned at school, I took real life lessons seriously and attended specialized workshops so that I could get more in depth information about what I wanted to learn. And so, when I decided to learn about filmmaking I decided that I wanted to know everything, from experience. Ive personally stood in the shoes of every crew person on a film shoot and done their job. I have been a gaffer. I have been a grip. I have been a script supervisor. I have run an art department. I have been the camera person. I have done craftservices. Ive been the sound designer, editor, office manager, production manager and the producer. The first job I ever had on a film production here in Chicago, was that of a P.A., etc. etc. I decided to learn about filmmaking this way because I wanted to really understand what I was asking everyone on my crew to do. I wanted to have an experienced idea of how long it takes to do things and what is and isnt possible.